Aztecs go overtime to get past Wyoming
Wyoming seemed every bit capable of beating San Diego State, which would have been a devastating fourth straight loss for the Aztecs.
Up by nine points with 11:10 to play, the Cowboys couldn't hold on. No. 24 San Diego State caught them in regulation, then won 67-58 in overtime.
Jamaal Franklin scored the first five points of overtime and finished with 12 overall for the Aztecs.
The Aztecs (21-6, 7-4 Mountain West) avoided what would have been their first four-game losing streak since February 2005. Wyoming (18-9, 4-7), lost its fourth straight and for the fifth time in six games.
"We were trying to slow it down and play at our pace," said Wyoming's JayDee Luster, who went to high school in San Diego. "I think it worked for the most part, but then at the end, we didn't make the plays we needed to win."
Wyoming also had second-half leads on the road against Colorado State and New Mexico before losing.
"I don't know if this one, I felt better about or worse," Cowboys coach Larry Shyatt said. "All three, we gave ourselves opportunities to win."
Both teams had chances to win in regulation. With the score tied at 55, San Diego State's Chase Tapley missed a layup with three seconds left. Wyoming's Luke Martinez had the ball knocked out of his hands, and time appeared to expire. But the referees put 0.7 seconds back on the clock, and Larry Nance Jr. missed a shot at the buzzer for the Cowboys.
Franklin, returning after missing a loss at Air Force with a sprained left ankle, opened overtime by putting back his own missed shot and converting a three-point play. Tapley had a steal and a layup to give the Aztecs a 62-55 lead with 2:08 left in the extra period.
Franklin and Tapley, San Diego State's leading scorers, had only six points each in regulation. Franklin scored six in the overtime, and Tapley had four. Tapley and Tim Shelton finished with 10 apiece.
Garrett Green led the Aztecs with 14 points. He made a layup with 1:23 left in regulation for a 53-52 lead, then added two free throws for a three-point lead with 41.6 seconds to go.
Martinez hit a 3-pointer to tie it with 29.2 seconds left in regulation.
Wyoming made only 1 of 7 shots in overtime. Arthur Bouedo led Wyoming with 11 points and Adam Waddell had 10.
San Diego State came in having lost at UNLV, at home to New Mexico and at Air Force, dropping the Aztecs 11 spots in The Associated Press poll.
The Cowboys made 9 of 22 3-point shots, and SDSU made 3 of 11.
Wyoming led 44-35 with 11:10 to play on a long jumper by Bouedo, the Cowboys' fourth nine-point lead of the night.
San Diego State went on an 8-0 run to pull to 44-43, on a baseline shot by Shelton, a slam dunk by Green, a reverse layup by DeShawn Stephens and a layup by Xavier Thames. The Aztecs finally tied it on a layup by Green with 4:36 left.
around the nation
ORANGE AVOID UPSET -- At Syracuse, N.Y., Scoop Jardine scored 15 points to help No. 2 Syracuse (28-1, 15-1 Big East) overcome a 13-point first-half deficit and beat South Florida, 56-48. Anthony Collins scored 16 points for the Bulls (17-11, 10-5), who endured a 12:33 stretch without scoring and had a four-game winning streak snapped.
JOHNSON LIFTS JAYHAWKS -- At College Station, Texas, former Cheyenne High standout Elijah Johnson scored 21 points to help No. 4 Kansas to a 66-58 win over Texas A&M.
The Jayhawks (23-5, 13-2 Big 12) led by as many as 21 points in the second half before a big run by the Aggies. Elston Turner made two free throws for Texas A&M (13-14, 4-11) to make it 62-58 with 40 seconds left, but Jeff Withey scored four points to guarantee the win.
SPARTANS STAY IN FIRST -- At Minneapolis, Draymond Green had 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals to help No. 6 Michigan State keep its hold on first place in the Big Ten with a 66-61 win over Minnesota (17-11, 5-10). The Spartans (23-5, 12-3) have won six straight.
OWLS SURVIVE -- At Philadelphia, Ramone Moore scored five of his 18 points in overtime to help No. 20 Temple (22-5, 11-2 Atlantic 10) to its 11th straight win, 80-79 over La Salle (18-10, 7-6). Khalif Wyatt scored 25 points for the Owls.
